Whether she's documenting her breastfeeding journey, NICU stay, or swaddling struggles, Ro Williams Brann, founder of the jewelry line, The Mom Life Co., is the first to admit that 'learning baby' is no joke. (Cheers to her suggestion that moms deserve doctorate degrees.)

With three-year-old Arya London and five-month-old Avery Jae at home, we chatted with Brann about the beauty of toddler distractions, transitioning from one to two, and the importance of giving yourself grace.

Running my own business with a new baby is: like the most terrifying yet exhilarating thing I’ve ever done! In fact, starting your own venture is just like having a new baby, actually. You’re working crazy hours and not getting much sleep, all while pouring your heart and soul into every little detail. And also, something is always on fire. See? Sounds kind of like motherhood to me!

The three pieces of newborn gear I can’t live without are: the new (and seriously life changing!) Elvie hands-free pump, our WavHello SoundBub white noise machine, and every single one of my Boba carriers. With so many products out there, I only ever share baby gear that actually does what it claims to do and these three are the real deal!

My secret sauce to juggling toddler activities with newborn naps and feedings: is deep breaths and the subtle art of distraction! That means letting my toddler have a snack while I feed the baby, and for the baby that means timing out car seat naps to coincide perfectly with her sister's activities. Truth? Even with secret sauce, juggling both is hard so I’ve learned to just embrace the chaos as it happens!

Our secret to tummy time success is: a super soft blanket in a fun print - a bright pattern always keeps her engaged!

Bedtime at our house looks: different, every single night! My husband and I tag team our way through it all. Dinner, diaper blowouts, coordinating two baths, bedtime songs, etc! We consider it a win if the baby only wakes up once and our toddler doesn’t end up in our bed sleeping horizontally. The baby cam footage is always funny to watch back in the mornings!

The most genius sleep advice I’ve received is: to embrace a flexible sleep schedule over a rigid one. Sleep training is truly a journey, and so the idea of flexibility has always helped us to manage our expectations from day to day!

The biggest challenge transitioning from 1 to 2 kids is: that unreasonable expectation to have it all figured out, just because you’ve done it once before! I always tell other moms to give themselves grace and to be comfortable with asking for help. The single greatest resource any mom (new or veteran) can have is a supportive community to lean on!

In a nutshell, my support system is: long distance! With grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all in different states, we don’t have a ton of support nearby to manage the day to day. This is when it becomes super important to find quality (and affordable) childcare! But to stay connected to family we rely heavily on FaceTime and travel as much as possible. And we’re also lucky to have made some really great friends who have become like family!

When styling my kiddos, I’ve learned: to appreciate quality over quantity, even if that means doing a few more loads of laundry each week! I also love to give my toddler options in what she wears. Letting her choose between two prints or tasking her with selecting shoes or bows really allows her to express herself each day!